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bl4th's Reviews (29)
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's not often that I feel this genuinely touched and inspired by a book. A good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Physical abuse, Violence
Minor: Infidelity, Slavery
informative
fast-paced
Upon reading the author's biography section on the inside of the jacket, I was surprised to learn that this was not his first historical endeavour, because this is not the work of an experienced and capable historian.
This thing really needed another pass from the editors. Like, really needed it. Numerous typos aside, the pacing is all over the place in a way actively detrimental to enjoyment of the book. Lacey takes rambling and circuitous paths, spends too much time on some things and too little on others (*cough* women), and assumed strangely what knowledge the reader would already be familiar with.
The content isn't that much better than its form, either. This book is a compilation of knowledge regurgitated from other sources and almost no original historical work, which would be fine if the author had made it even slightly less blatant. It reads like a bad university thesis. His flat tone heralded a work in which the reader is presented all information with the charming verbosity of a police report.
The author's personal biases are also made evident in his treatment of women, and while I am amenable to the idea of lesbian information being harder to track down than that regarding gay men (particularly in a time when the internet was not as prevalent), Lacey constantly writes barely anything about the women he mentions. If he does, then he couches it in imprecise language in a way which he rarely does for his male subjects. I often got the impression that there was more information we could have been given about a female subject even within the sources he cites, but that he just neglected to give it to the reader for a lack of care.
TL;DR, does a bad job at being a history book and only worth reading if you can't be bothered to go through his bibliography and read the sources yourself.
This thing really needed another pass from the editors. Like, really needed it. Numerous typos aside, the pacing is all over the place in a way actively detrimental to enjoyment of the book. Lacey takes rambling and circuitous paths, spends too much time on some things and too little on others (*cough* women), and assumed strangely what knowledge the reader would already be familiar with.
The content isn't that much better than its form, either. This book is a compilation of knowledge regurgitated from other sources and almost no original historical work, which would be fine if the author had made it even slightly less blatant. It reads like a bad university thesis. His flat tone heralded a work in which the reader is presented all information with the charming verbosity of a police report.
The author's personal biases are also made evident in his treatment of women, and while I am amenable to the idea of lesbian information being harder to track down than that regarding gay men (particularly in a time when the internet was not as prevalent), Lacey constantly writes barely anything about the women he mentions. If he does, then he couches it in imprecise language in a way which he rarely does for his male subjects. I often got the impression that there was more information we could have been given about a female subject even within the sources he cites, but that he just neglected to give it to the reader for a lack of care.
TL;DR, does a bad job at being a history book and only worth reading if you can't be bothered to go through his bibliography and read the sources yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia
Minor: Xenophobia, War
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
A really splendid look at the translation process of Undertale with a jocular tone matching the game in question. Very easy to read but doesn't talk down to you. The affable narration lends itself well to the subject matter. Highly recommended to any fans of Undertale.
challenging
informative
medium-paced
As someone who barely knew what WikiLeaks was when I picked this book up, I found it incredibly informative. The speakers presented their arguments in interesting ways, and the structure of the transcript made it feel more authentic.
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Genocide, Hate crime
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pretty decent read. The pacing and framing was interesting but it felt a little underbaked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Very good read. The folklore footnotes were very interesting, as was the framing device.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Vomit
A lot of the themes and content had potential for interesting exploration of storytelling and perceptions of reality, but it was ultimately let down by the prose. It was often too absent-minded and meandering to capture my interest. Maybe that was the point, but like, still boring.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content
informative
medium-paced
Quite insightful, the framing device of the different keys was interesting to see as a way to view art from many angles. Information on non-Western artists was noticeably flatter and as the pieces became more contemporary, I felt Morley's lack of political acumen limited his analysis. A useful book.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Racism
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
A good book, glad I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder